From Spice Girls to Skrillex: Inside Jennifer Lawrence’s Wildly Eclectic Music Taste

When Jennifer Lawrence first stormed into Hollywood’s spotlight with Winter’s Bone in 2010, she seemed destined for a career defined by intensity and grit. But away from the camera, the Oscar-winning star’s musical sensibilities tell a different story—one that veers from ‘90s bubblegum pop to brooding folk classics, raucous dubstep drops, and tender funeral ballads.

From Girl Power to Folk Poetry

In a candid conversation with Spin shortly after The Hunger Games launched her into superstardom, Lawrence revealed that her first-ever album purchase was pure pop royalty: the Spice Girls’ debut CD.

“It was my everything,” she said, recalling blasting it after school to the despair of her brother, who, in an act of sibling sabotage, scratched the underside of the disc. “I’ve never forgiven him for it. I don’t even give him Christmas presents.”

By the time she was 19, her tastes had evolved toward something more introspective—Joni Mitchell’s 1970 masterpiece Blue. The album’s unvarnished vulnerability captivated her. “I thought it was the most beautiful album in the world,” Lawrence said, adding with a mischievous grin that Mitchell’s reputedly prickly personality “would be really fun to play” on screen.

The Dubstep Awakening

The leap from Mitchell’s folk musings to the frenetic world of dubstep might seem improbable—until you factor in Hunger Games co-star Josh Hutcherson. It was Hutcherson, Lawrence says, who introduced her to the likes of Skrillex and Bassnectar during filming.

“I hadn’t even heard of dubstep before,” she admitted. “It made my brain short-circuit in this great way. I would’ve never thought that I’d like that, but I loved it.”

That same playlist also makes room for the earnest folk-rock of Mumford & Sons, a band she calls “timeless,” proving her tastes can swing from thundering bass drops to banjo-driven anthems without missing a beat.

An Unexpected Funeral Soundtrack

When the subject turned to the song she’d want played at her funeral, Lawrence didn’t miss a beat—Bay City Rollers’ “Bye Bye Baby.” The choice, she admits, was inspired by its use in Love Actually, but she’s banking on cultural amnesia. “Hopefully, by the time I die, nobody will remember Love Actually and they’ll be like, ‘Oh my God, what an original idea.’”

A Playlist Without Borders

Lawrence’s personal favorites are as diverse as they are revealing, mapping a life in music that spans generations and genres:

Jennifer Lawrence’s Favourite Artists:

• The Spice Girls

• Joni Mitchell

• The Beatles

• Queen

• Skrillex

• Bassnectar

• 98 Degrees

• Bay City Rollers

• The Black Keys

• Destiny’s Child

• Mumford & Sons

From the infectious optimism of ‘90s pop to the soul-baring folk of the ‘70s, from EDM’s most explosive drops to the stadium-shaking classics of Queen, Jennifer Lawrence’s playlist is an unpredictable, endearing mix—much like the actress herself.

If you want, I can also create a visual “Jennifer Lawrence Playlist Map” infographic that charts her favorite artists by genre and era, making her eclectic taste even more fun to explore.